The Portuguese nitrogen footprint, a challenge in a Mediterranean country

• A nitrogen (N) footprint quantifies and connects N losses with consumption patterns. This concept emerged out of the necessity to communicate the importance and the negative effects of N to the general public (N-Print, 2021). Portugal’s cultural practices include a serial of habits which are accounted in the N footprint (NF), in particular, food production and consumption and energy costs for housing and transports.

• Agriculture is the main source of reactive N (Nr) emissions to the global environment – followed by burning of fossil fuels – where beef and dairy products are responsible for 56% of Nr emissions in Europe (nitrogen on the table, Sutton et al). Regardless, although Portugal is a Mediterranean country, the typical Mediterranean diet is not usually followed.